Inland tourism in Croatia: Lonjsko Polje's EU grant of almost €1m

Sisak-Moslavina region is awarded €922,000 in EU funding for the development of business infrastructure for the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park.

Inland tourism in Croatia received a boost with the awarding of an almost 7 million kuna (€ 922,000) EU grant from the IPA programme to improve the infrastructure around the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park, according to a report in Slobodna Dalmacija on February 27, 2012. The grant agreement, which was signed by regional official Marina Lovric Merzel on February 14, will mostly finance 2km of important roads around the nature park. Part of the grant has also been allocated to develop a marketing plan to promote the tourist attraction, which will include a website for online accommodation booking, printed materials and billboards. The total project is 9.2 million kuna, 75% of which is in the shape of non-refundable EU grants, with the rest made up by regional authorities. Lonjsko Polje is the largest protected wetland in the Danube basin, covering more than 500 square kilometres. It is a haven for birds and wildlife, and its history dates back to 1963 with the establishment of the first ornithological reserve in Croatia with the creation of the Krapje Djol Bird Sanctuary.